Putney Selectboard narrows public-comment rules to three minutes per speaker

The Putney Selectboard on April 18 revised its Rules of Procedure to limit public comment not on the agenda to "three (3) minutes per speaker," and agreed that speakers should be recognized by the chair and state their name before speaking. The change was part of broader edits the board made to Section H of the Rules of Procedure.

Board members worked through several revisions to the rules during their special meeting at Next Stage Arts Project. The minutes record the procedural change without a separate roll-call vote; the board described the edit as part of working through Section H language and removing repetitive phrasing. The minutes also note that members should be recognized by the chair, a procedural step the board affirmed as part of the revisions.

The revisions were discussed alongside other governance items at the meeting, and the Selectboard indicated the edits are intended to clarify expectations for public participation. The meeting record does not show a separate formal adoption vote recorded in the minutes; staff follow-up was implied for finalizing the written Rules of Procedure.